Slyde in the right direction

Chrissie Sandison (nee Anderson) was born in November 1917 in a remote area on the West Mainland of Shetland, the youngest of 9 children.

By the time Chrissie was born her older brothers were mostly away at sea but the household was never quiet as it was home to a large extended family.

Chrissie's younger nephews and niece were her playmates rather than her own siblings.

Like all children in that area at that time, she left school at 14 as there was no money for further education.

Chrissie has always loved learning, reading, and writing, and has kept a diary for nearly 50 years - one of her biggest regrets is that she didn't start this habit much sooner.Throughout her life she has collected verses written by others, and has had a number of her own poems published in "Shetland Life".

She has an excellent memory and loves to tell how their family lived, and is happy to spend hours entertaining visitors with her, often humorous, descriptions of times past.

Realising that a way of life that had existed for generations has irrevocably changed over her lifetime, Chrissie wrote down many of her memories of life in the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s which were published in "Shetland Life".Those articles provide the basis for this book, with other memories and information added. A knowledgeable genealogist, Chrissie has researched many family trees - indeed most conversations with Chrissie involve a bit of "reddin ken" - so there's a little family history here too.

Chrissie married in 1942 and spent most of her married life in East Burrafirth.

Nowadays, despite very poor eyesight, she continues to write letters and send cards to friends near and far.

Her appreciation of being able listen to "The Shetland Times", "Shetland Life" and "New Shetlander" led to the realisation that Shetland books are not available on tape.

Royalties from the sale of this book will therefore go to "Da Soond o Shetlan: Shetland Talking Books" which aims to ensure that local books are recorded and available for borrowing from Shetland Library.